


Atypical Omega

by quicksilver_nightsky



Series: Nests [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha Noctis, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Gender Roles, M/M, Nesting, Omega gladio, Pining, Self-Esteem Issues, beta Ignis, omega Prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-10 23:25:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17435471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksilver_nightsky/pseuds/quicksilver_nightsky
Summary: But Shields had ALWAYS been alphas before!





	1. Conceal, Don’t Feel

**Author's Note:**

> Never thought I could write low self esteem Gladio but here we are.

Gladio had spent his teens expecting to present as an alpha, like the long line of Shields before him, like his mother had been. He was already bulked up, building himself into the ideal Alpha body type. He’d be the Shield to the Chosen King — he needed to be the strongest, the best fighter. 

And then at eighteen, he woke up plastered to his bed in his own slick. Over the next three days, his entire world had shattered. 

He _couldn’t_ be a proper omega. If he wasn’t already six feet tall, broad-shouldered and slim-waisted — even if the omegastrone he’d start producing killed off all his muscles he could _never_ be the dainty, delicate waif that alphas liked. Neither could he be the demure, submissive homemaker they liked. He might like poetry and romance novels and spending time with his sister and picking flowers (fuck how hadn’t he expected this?), but he couldn’t **be** the sweet omega he ought to be. He _needed_ to be strong, unrelenting, powerful. Who could _want_ an omega him? 

He threw himself into his duty. He cut off any ideas about mating and building his own pack. He made himself stop eyeing off the prince’s gorgeous little advisor. 

Ignis Stupeo Scientia. He’d allowed himself to entertain idle fantasies about Scientia presenting as omega, and allowing Gladio to court him slowly and properly. (Of course Scientia would be an omega — he was small and slim, unfailingly polite, and already took care of the prince’s home.) Poetry and picnics, proving that he could protect and provide. 

None of that mattered now. Omega-Omega relationships went fine, but Gladio would never be allowed to have one—and especially not with a male omega. He had to continue the family line, and two male omegas were basically infertile couples. His father had been so awkward around him since he’d presented, had already been looking for alpha women to arrange a match with. Omega men could impregnate alpha women in their ruts. 

He wouldn’t be an embarrassment to the family. 

***

He couldn’t nest to save his own life. He was too heavy-handed to get it together. Piles of pillows tipped over, a hand at the wrong time sent outer coverings ripping out of their precarious tucks and exposing the dim burrow to harsh light. The soft sheets caught on the rough calluses of his hands and pulled threads until they turned into a mess. 

A year into his new hell of a life, he gave up on this whole nesting shit. He went to a camping outlet and got a luxury tent instead. Light-cancelling fabric for the walls, and a plush futon-like mattress fit to the floor. 

He felt like a dumbass camping out in his own backyard once a month, but it satisfied his pre-heat instincts to nest. And his father stopped wrinkling his nose whenever he came back into the house any more. 

He could survive this. Even if he kept growing taller and protein shakes helped him continue to bulk out. Even if alphas wrinkled their noses at him in confusion, and Ignis started his Crownsguard training and became a tall svelte babe. 

He flirted with people indiscriminately, even when they told him they were omegas. He was free with his charms, and completely reserved with his affections. He never risked his heart. It would be married forever to his duty. 

And then — to absolutely nobody’s surprise — Prince Noctis presented as an alpha. Every king of Lucis had been an alpha, because the magic of the crystal _made_ it so. 

Lazy, skinny Noctis who’d rather stay in bed with a video game or a comic book than… literally anything else. That little shit got to be an alpha and Gladio was stuck being a failure of an omega. 

Fuck the Astrals and their fucking games. He shoved down his feelings and moved on with his life. He had a duty. He would devote his life to it. That was all that would matter to him. 

***

The prince’s skinny twig of a friend was an omega. Short, petite, soft and pretty — he looked exactly like an omega should. He made Gladio want to punch his lights out, except he was made of sugar and sunshine and it was impossible to hate him. 

He was a fucking natural at nesting too. Gladio had come over to Noct’s apartment one afternoon and seen a master-class blanket fort taking over the middle of the living room. The prince himself was lazing on the couch, pretending to be on his phone while he really watched Prompto with the goofiest smitten look on his dumb face. 

It shouldn’t have hurt. Sure, there’d been some vague discussions of arranging a mating between him and the prince once Noct had presented — so his omega instincts would make him fierce in getting his alpha’s approval. But he’d been _glad_ when it had fallen through. (He’d proved that he was a more than capable fighter “ _even as an omega_ ” and they hadn’t thought it necessary to cross their bloodlines again.) Noct was not his type. 

He decided to blame his instincts. Prompto wasn’t exactly his pack yet — but he would be. So as an omega, he was flaring up about the threat of a competing omega. A more _successful_ omega, he thought bitterly, eyeing the nest with envy. 

He shoved down the feelings. He didn’t need to be a decent omega. He _needed_ to be the ultimate shield. What did it matter that Noct coddled and cooed over his oblivious blond friend? Blondie could be his practice omega all he wanted. 

*** 

Gladio was politely informed by email correspondence from Ignis Scientia shortly after his nineteenth birthday that he had presented as a beta. He didn’t know how he felt about it really. 

He told himself firmly that it meant he wouldn’t have to worry about adjusting security procedures around him — without the high levels of alphagens or the competitive alpha instincts, Scientia wouldn’t be tempted to challenge the prince’s authority; and without an omega’s monthly heats they wouldn’t have to compensate for (another) cycle in the scheduling. 

(A traitorous part of his brain he could never entirely shut up whispered that male omega-beta relationships were more stable than omega-omega, that with a little assistance from doctors or special pumps a male omega could be impregnated by a male beta. That alphas didn’t like him because he wasn’t omega enough for them, but maybe as a beta Iggy wouldn’t _care_ he was a failure of an omega…)

It would’ve all been fine, he was sure. 

Except perfect little Prompto and his perfect little omega charms captured more than just their smitten prince. 

The first time the three of them were together after Scientia’s presentation, at their designated pack bonding time, he found out. (As the prince’s retinue they would comprise Noct’s pack. They needed to be stable and well-bonded in order to support him as a future king. A prince with an unstable pack couldn’t focus on learning to run the country, he’d be too busy with his alpha instincts urging him to bring them all together and sort the mess out.)

Scientia, always exactly punctual but looking harried as if he was running late. He stepped out of his shoes and began to unbutton the silky waistcoat and loosen his tie. 

Gladio, already stripped down to his sweatpants, was leaning up against Noct’s bare legs as the prince messaged his best friend nonstop. 

Ignis stepped into the room and inhaled. Scenting the air. His pupils flared in arousal, and the silk of his boxers looked just a little fuller. His bespectacled eyes searched the room, then landed on the prince. “Has Mr Argentum already left?”

Noct growled possessively, eyes narrowing dangerously at his advisor. “Prompto left before Gladio arrived. What’s it to _you_?”

“His scent is very...aromatic.” 

Noct growled again, hands clenching around the phone. “That’s none of _your_ business.”

It hit Gladio like a punch to the solar plexus in a supposedly friendly sparring match. Ignis Scientia was scenting for Prompto. He enjoyed his scent. He was turned on by it. Ignis _wanted_ Prompto. 

His guts twisted painfully, but he shoved away his jealousy. It wasn’t surprising. Prompto exemplified the perfect omega. If that’s the type Scientia was drawn to, he’d be the perfect choice. He’d heard around that Prompto had the best omega scent of their associates too. 

But the part of his brain that would always stay the fifteen-year-old boy smitten with the prince’s shy advisor screamed in rage and denial. Whatever, he was practiced at shutting it out by now. 

Ignis pushed up his glasses. “I don’t suppose he happened to build a nest while he was here?”

“No — why would he? He’s still a week away from his pre-heat.” 

“Quite. If you’ll give me a few moments, then?” And then the beta moved about, grabbing cushions and pillows and throw blankets and constructing a bowl-shaped nest. 

It wasn’t the elaborate dens and burrows Prompto constructed, but when the curtains were lowered it was perfect. Astrals — even Iggy, a _beta_ , could build a better nest than his piss-poor attempts. 

He trampled on the feelings that rose with the thoughts, and waited until the prince and his advisor were settled in the middle of the nest to curl himself with his back to the edge. 

He was too big — both long and broad — for Noct to comfortably spoon up behind him. But he just wanted to be _cuddled_. His stupid omega instincts craved the security and the comfort of being held and protected. Even if he knew that he was more than capable of protecting himself and all the others. They still cried out for it. 

But Iggy’s nests and their pack bonding he got to let himself ease that feeling. Blankets and pillows piled up behind him that almost spooned behind his back and legs. Head resting on Noct’s scrawny shoulders with Ignis resting with his head on the prince’s flat, toned stomach. The scents of pack and home surrounding him. 

Yeah. He really looked forward to their scheduled pack bonding time. 

*** 

It made _sense_ , he tried to tell himself that. If Prompto was to be the prince’s practice omega, Noct would be obligated to have someone to hand him off onto when he found a proper mate. Ignis himself was probably aware that he would inevitably be paired as Prompto’s mate. 

But every gesture towards it hurt. Gladio was _not_ as indifferent as he lied to himself about being. He’d been fixated on Ignis since he was fifteen, and that didn’t go away just because he told it to. It still fucking hurt. 

*** 

“Is Prompto about? I’ve discovered a new recipe.” 

Gladio sat up straighter, turning his gaze on the advisor as he came into the room. “I could taste test for you,” he offered. 

“Ah.” A delicate finger pushed up his spectacles. “Well, it was arranged with Prompto in mind. A Keycatrich Salad — not nearly enough proteins for your appetite, Gladio.”

  


“I’ve sourced some tickets to the interminable DJ that Prompto is fond of. Are you available on Sunday week to chaperone, Gladio?””

  


“I require a particular kind of pepper for a recipe I’m developing for Prompto. Would you care to accompany me to the Farmer’s Market this weekend to purchase it, Gladio?”

*** 

Gladio knew he was attractive. He was handsome, with masculine features, and an enviable muscular body. 

People of all secondary gender designations eyed him with interest. Omegas made overtures towards him to invite him to court them. They couldn’t smell, didn’t know he was one of them. 

But it was his personality they didn’t like. Too much bravado to be an omega, when he should be pliant and submissive. 

Alphas and betas alike happily climbed into bed with him — but the male ones always got irritated _fast_ when he didn’t turn into a mewling cockslut as soon as they took off their pants. 

He very quickly decided to stick to flirting with women. And if he had a casual arrangement with Crowe, an alpha in the Kingsglaive, that dipped into pegging that was nobody’s business but his own. 

He was getting a reputation. The sort of one any alpha male would be proud to brag of. 

But he wasn’t an alpha. He was an omega. 

And there were disgusting triple standards. 


	2. An Arranged Mating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 of 2 chapters from Iggy’s POV. Gosh he’s wordy.

Ignis was in his office, carefully going through Noct’s correspondence. They had already been opened by security, anything dangerous or threatening having been disposed of accordingly. Now it was one of Ignis’s (copious) duties to peruse them and divide the correspondences into categories — official Citadel business, communiques from staff, invitations to various events, and fan mail. He would summarise what he could of the Citadel correspondence; accept the necessary events, enter them into his schedule, and list the rest to the invitations for his highness to approve at his discretion; and the fan mail Noct always read personally — and Ignis would take notes as to any messages he wished to pass on in the responses Ignis would pen later. 

One afternoon, on the day of their scheduled Pack Bonding time (that just so happened to coincide with the beginning to Gladiolus Amicitia’s pre-heat, purely unintentionally) he came upon a worrisome black envelope stamped with the crest of the Crownsguard. He suspected it to be from the King’s Shield himself, before he took out the embossed card and saw the signature of Captain Clarus Amicitia. 

The contents of the note made a knot of anxiety twist through his stomach. It was a formal request, not as Shield to crown prince, nor as captain of the Crownsguard to the leader of his retainers — but as the father of one in Noctis’s pack. As he skimmed the note, he only felt his temper rising. 

_I have reason to be concerned about my son ... behaviour inappropriate for an omega of good standing ... damaging the reputation of the Amicitia name … at risk of diseases and infections … a child from such an affair cannot be condoned … It is your duty as Alpha of his pack to arrange a suitable mating. I trust that you can be advised on a suitable match by your Advisor. … next heat would be an appropriate time … With gratitude, Captain Clarus Amicitia, Shield of the King._

Jaw clenched, he took off his spectacles to thoroughly clean the frames. With as much calm as he could present, he telephoned through to his afternoon meetings and postponed them. Then he telephoned Noct’s school and instructed him to be excused from classes after the current period had ended. 

Even the burliest of Alphas stepped out of the way as he strode through the hallways of the Citadel. It was well known, when the prince’s beta was angry, you did your best to avoid coming under his wrath. 

Noct was grouchy when he slipped into the car. “I was supposed to go with Prompto to the arcade this afternoon.”

“We have personal pack business.” He passed the black envelope back to him. 

“Couldn’t it wait until our scheduled time?”

“No.”

Noct sighed and put his phone away. “Fine.” He tugged the card out and started mumbling the contents of the letter. He fell silent a couple sentences in — and when Ignis glanced at the rearview mirror he was scowling. “Is he serious?”

“Quite. He wouldn’t deliver this by official means if it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.” He directed them calmly towards the prince’s apartment. “What are you going to do?”

“What am I supposed to do?” He put the letter away. “Ugh. Do I seriously have to find Gladio a mate?”

He clenched his and carefully released one hand from the steering wheel to push up his spectacles. “If that’s what you plan on doing about the situation.”

“Do I have another choice?” Noct asked. 

“It’s a delicate situation. You could respond with a no, if worded correctly. I am willing to research some precedents if you bid.”

The alpha was silent in the back seat. “Should we talk to Gladio about it first?” He asked quietly, hesitantly. “What if this is something he wants?”

“Given the wording of the letter, I doubt it’s a matter the king’s Shield had discussed with his son.” He pursed his lips, directing his car into the parking bay. “But perhaps it is something Gladio may desire. He may have someone in mind.” 

There were rumours, about the locker rooms of the Citadel, that Gladio had been seen on more than one occasion paying a call to the alpha kingsglaive, Crowe Altius. If he was serious about her… well, a ‘glaive needed royal permission to marry. This may be the opportunity to secure it. 

He shook his head free of thoughts and a not inconsiderable amount of jealousy. 

In the days of their youth, Ignis had thought perhaps he had Gladio’s eye. The Shield-in-training has always a kind word for him, and something fond in his expression when they looked upon one another. 

But they had vanished altogether whence Gladio had presented as an omega. Ignis had resigned himself — he expected to present as an omega as well, and he knew the king’s Shield would never tolerate his son being in a relationship of two male omega. 

His presentation as a beta had given him a faint hope. A bastard beta paying court to a highborn omega was certainly unusual, discouraged even — just less firmly disapproved than two omega. Yet that had come to nothing. 

He had made enough attempts at the subtlest of flirtation in order to gauge Gladio’s interest. If they had been recognised at all, the omega reacted with awkward laughter and averted looks. 

His lack of interest couldn’t be made more clear. His recent choices of only females (though he wasn’t picky about designation) perhaps leant reason to that. If Gladio had been merely experimenting with males, he may not have desired to risk a friendship and working relationship _and_ the stability of the pack bond in a mere speculation. 

He could respect that. His thoughts were torn between gratitude that he respected their friendship so much, and that he hadn’t had the memories to taunt him — and regret that he’d never used the opportunity if that brief window to know what it would have been like. Would the loss be worth the memories? One couldn’t predict. 

“Specs?” Noct asked from the back seat. “You doing okay there?”

“Yes. Quite. Thank you for enquiring, Highness,” he answered quickly. He had allowed his thoughts to carry him away. Unacceptable. 

“...then you gonna let me out of the car?”

Flushing with embarrassment, he murmured apologies as he pressed the security lock to release the back doors to allow the prince to exit the vehicle. He followed Noct up to his apartment, the alpha typing away on his phone — no doubt distracting a certain blond from his lessons. 

Once they were settled in the apartment, and Ignis was preparing snacks for their evening, Noct dared to broach the subject again:

“What if Gladio doesn’t have anyone in mind?” He asked. “And I can’t say no to Clarus?”

He kept his hands steady on the knife, ensuring the cheese was cut into even slices. He didn’t allow his hands to clench into fists, or his expression to show his displeasure. “Then I suppose you will have to pick an appropriate mate for Gladiolus.”

Noct groaned. “How am I supposed to find someone who wants _Gladio_? He’s not like an omega at all!”

In a pique of temper Ignis wished he had better control over, he picked up the knife and stabbed it clear through the wooden chopping board until it scraped against the marble countertop. “Do we need to have another discussion about stereotyping and the standards imposed by alpharchy?” 

“...right.” Noctis stared at him a moment. “I mean. Gladio can be however he wants! I don’t care about that. It doesn’t change who or what he is.” He shifted uncomfortably - quite unbecoming for a prince. “What I meant was that by other people’s standards, he doesn’t act like they think an omega should. So it’ll be hard to find an alpha who will take him for who he is.”

He clenched his jaw tightly, muscle ticking as he attempted to safely work the knife back out of the chopping board. “Gladiolus is not without his charms and his merits. You will find he has many attractions to women of all kinds. And they have much they see in him. There are many people who would feel honoured to have a mate like Gladiolus.”

Noctis was watching him. Ignis thought there was far too much understanding in that gaze. “And of course,” he continued carefully, “if they fit into the pack will be another issue.”

He was wary about the direction his thoughts were taking. “If you believe that to be important, of course you must consider it carefully.”

Casually — far too casually, Noctis was learning well — he said, “it would be really convenient if he could bond within the pack, so we wouldn’t have to make room for anyone else.”

Ignis set down the knife and removed his spectacles to clean them. “I will be blunt, Highness.” A rare enough occasion. “I would be honoured to become Gladio’s mate. If I thought it was a viable solution, I would have presented it to you.”

“But it’s not?”

“Beyond the fury we may expect from Captain Amicitia for sullying the family tree with such ill-begotten fruit,” he said, his voice dark, “there is the matter of Gladio’s feelings to consider.”

“Fuck Clarus though,” Noct said, eyeing the embossed envelope with distaste. “I’ll just tell him it would be too much of a risk to bring anyone else into our pack. He can deal.”

He slid the spectacles back onto his face. “Noctis…” He began tiredly. “That wasn’t my main argument and you are well aware.”

“Yeah. But we can't find that out until we talk to Gladio about it.” He looked away with false indifference. “For now that’s my decision. We’ll leave the rest up to Gladio.”

“Thank you,” he said, with more sincerity than he’d really intended to convey. Then, in desperation for a change of subject, he enquired: “will Prompto be joining us for pack bonding today?”

  


As Ignis puttered around the house he tried his best to compose ways he might say rather important points in the upcoming conversation with Gladio. 

_I have admired you for years. With this order, we finally have the opportunity to have a mating your family would never approve of._ Drat. It was unlikely Gladio would find that a point in his favour. No matter how offended he was about his father’s manoeuvre, he was still a very proud son.

He gracefully sidestepped that thought. Best to come back to it. 

_I know not the precise satisfaction you gain from your promiscuity. But if you agree to mate with me I shall do my best to please you._ Hm. Close. Not quite there. _You’re no boring omega, I’m sure you have desires that these encounters fulfil for you. I’m flexible in the bedroom — in more ways than one — and I’m willing to indulge you in frequent sexual intercourse; and we can negotiate with any kinks you have._ Was that too forward? It was an awkwardly formed speech, even within his own head. 

A different approach? What would Gladio himself say in this situation? _Yo, you’re hot as fuck and I’ve been eyeing you up for years. Let’s take this opportunity to let our instincts do the talking, huh?_

Drat. No. That just wasn’t him. Not that Gladio was at all interested in _him_. Years had proven that. 

He sighed and came to a stop behind the lounge, where Noct sat comfortably, playing on his phone as if this was merely some regular afternoon. Ignis often envied his calm-bordering-on-apathy, and this was one of those times. 

He didn’t have long to wait. 

Gladiolus Amicitia himself arrived fifteen minutes before schedule, as he was wont to do on these evenings. He immediately grew uncomfortable — ever attuned to read a room. “What is this? An intervention?” He sneered. 

“Something like that,” Noctis muttered. Gesturing Gladio over, he passed him the envelope. “Got an official request from your father today.”

Looking at them both warily, he scowled down at the missive as he read it. With each new sentence, his brows furrowed and the card began to bend beneath the force of his fingers. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Would that it were,” Ignis remarked. “I brought it directly to his highness’s attention.”

“That fucking hypocrite,” Gladio snarled, shoving the note back into the envelope and tossing it onto the coffee table. “I’ve heard the stories of what he got up to at my age!”

“He’s holding you to a rather different standard, distastefully enough.” 

“Yeah, duh. Alpha prick. You told him where to shove it, right?” That last part was directed at Noct. 

The prince shifted uncomfortably. “Uh. Well. About that. Me and Specs thought…”

“You two thought **what**?” Gladio demanded, taking an intimidating step closer. 

“Specs?” Noct pressed, not at all intimidated by the move but still yet eager to gather some kind of help. 

“We wondered what your opinion on the matter was—”

“My opinion on the matter is _fuck that_!”

Ignis grimaced, but made himself continue. “If there were someone you were interested in, but hadn’t pursued for… whatever reason. Reputation, status, your family’s disapproval. Now would be your opportunity to ‘go for it’. Noct is willing to bear the brunt of the blame and outcry — and nobody can really argue with _him_ on the matter.”

Some sort of emotion flickered over the omega’s expression as he fought off each countenance. “So what — just cause I’m an omega you both think I’m secretly pining after some alpha to tie me down and make me settle into my true nature?” He snarled aggressively. 

Ignis felt his stomach sink. “No, I assure you that’s not correct,” he answered firmly. “If you wish to remain single, I’ve already volunteered my time to find the correct formal way to rebuff the Shield’s request. But we merely wanted to judge what your desire was before we went ahead with that.”

“My desire?” Gladio repeated, his face curling up in a sneer. “Well it certainly ain’t to bend over for whatever alpha you pull out of your ass that agrees to be stuck with me! Ever occur to you that I **like** the way I am, how I live my life?”

“Dude,” Noct said — a word he picked up from Prompto. “Of course we did. It’s why we planned first to tell Clarus to stuff it. Just thought we’d ask you before making a decision about _your_ life.”

Gladio’s hands clenched. “Well,” he answered begrudgingly. “Thank you for that. At least.” He took several deep breaths. “I’m going home,” he announced. “I ain’t in the right mood to deal with curling up with you three tonight.”

Ignis stepped forward. “Let me drive you home,” he volunteered. “You came with the Crownsguard on the shift change right?”

“...yeah. Fine. Thanks.” He stomped off to the door, not glancing back at either of them. 

“Specs?” Noct asked gently. “You okay?”

“Perfectly fine, Highness. I cannot fathom why you might think me to be otherwise.” He pushed up his spectacles. “Have Prompto call me if he requires a lift over here later. I do worry about him running through town and taking public transport.”

Noct gave him a suspicious glare — and a low growl of warning to stay away from Prompto — before nodding in dismissal. 


	3. Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter gets a little nsfw after the *** break. Iggy is not ashamed.

Ignis pursued Gladio, following his scent down the stairwell and into the parking garage. He was leaning up against the passenger side door, his face darker than a storm at sea. 

Ignis took out his keys and pressed the fob to unlock the doors. The omega was already settled in the car when he climbed in — his scent agitated but no less enticing in its early pre-heat state. He cleared his throat. “Back to the Amicitia Mansion?”

An angry grunt of confirmation was all he received in reply. 

He drove silently, until some of the tension eased out of the future Shield’s shoulders. And then he went ahead and ruined it: “may I ask you a personal question, Gladiolus?” 

“Only if you quit with the full name shit,” he replied crabbily. 

“Quite.” He tried to arrange his question in the least offensive way. “Are you merely angry that your father is using your status to push you, or are you opposed entirely to mating?”

Gladio growled irritably, but the fact he didn’t immediately snap at him to mind his own business was a good sign. “Bit of both,” he answered after a long pause, then paused again to try and think of a further response. 

Ignis felt his heart sink into his stomach. Right. Gladio didn’t want to be mated. 

“I’ve accepted that I won’t mate,” he replied, “a long time ago. I’m not that kind of omega.”

Ignis considered that statement. “You’re not romantically inclined?” He ventured to understand. 

“Nah, not that. I just…” He sighed heavily, paused again to put his words together. Ignis focused on navigated the vehicle and allowed him the time. “I ain’t the sort of omega who settles down. And I gotta make sure that nothing comes between me and my duty — not even a mate.”

Ignis nodded. He’d had the same concerns himself — and it was why he’d never allowed himself to pursue any long-term romantic entanglements amongst curious suitors. Or maybe that had been an internalised excuse for permitting himself to continue to pine over Gladio. The omega wouldn’t come between him and his duty to Noct, because he’d be equally as steadfast on the prince’s other side. 

“ ‘Sides. Doubt I could find an alpha who even wants me on such a short notice.” He grunted. 

He kept mentioning an alpha. Did he really consider that he had no other options for a mate?

Ignis spared him a brief smile. “Come now. You’re a man of many attractions, Gladio. And you’re never without an interested partner. All you’d have to do is outstretch your hand and you’d hit someone willing to mate you.”

Gladio reached out and punched his arm. Ignis tried hard not to be conscious of the fact he’d mentioned reaching out, and Gladio had done just that _to him_. Reading too much into these sorts of moments was too risky when one’s heart was on the line. 

“S’different,” he grunted, something almost sad in his voice. “They’re hookups. We all get that it’s a one time thing for fun, and that’s what people look for when they’re looking at me.”

Ignis felt his heart pang with sympathy. “What about Kingsglaive Altius?” He suggested, keeping his voice calm. “You have been known to have shared numerous evenings with her.”

“Crowe?” Gladio asked, pulling a face. “Nah. I’m missing a couple of things she’s looking for in a long term mate.” At Ignis’s questioning look, he made a round gesture and a hefty cupping motion about his pecs. 

He flushed. “Ah.”

“Boobs, Ignis. I’m talking about boobs.”

“Yes, thank you. I understood the implication.”

Gladio laughed at him. At least he’d managed to garner a laugh amongst their tense discussion. “Weird. Didn’t even think you knew what they were.”

Flushing with embarrassment at that implication, he pushed up his spectacles to help mask his face. “I may have no particular interest in breasts, but that doesn’t mean I am not aware of what they are.”

“...huh,” Gladio said after a pause, looking at him intensely across the car. “So you’re strictly dickly huh?”

He pulled a face at that term, but nodded. “We all have our preferences.” He parked the vehicle in the driveway and turned off the engine. But neither of them moved to exit yet. “Another impertinent question, if you’ll allow it?”

“Sure. I’ll tell you to shove it if I don’t want to answer.”

He took a deep breath. “In your previous answer… well. You never said…” He paused and tried to arrange his thoughts into a neater question. “Don’t you **want** a mate?”

Looking angry, Gladio opened his mouth — inevitably to begin shouting. 

Ignis hurried to clarify: “not because you’re an omega. Only, isn’t that something everyone is searching for? Alphas, betas and omega alike. Are not we all hoping for partner with whom to share our life?”

Gladio looked stunned a moment, and closed his mouth. He seemed to be mulling over the question. “...look. If there was miraculously some hot alpha chick who wanted me despite everything, maybe. But ‘til then, I’m content with what I got.”

Hot alpha chick. He couldn’t make his preferences any more obvious at this juncture. 

Ignis nodded. “I understand. Thank you for indulging me.”

Gladio sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was unusually shaggy, it seems he’d missed out on a regular barber’s appointment. 

He ached to reach out and touch it. But he kept his hands firmly on the wheel at ten and two. Yet his words yearned for him: “your hair is growing out.”

“Huh?” He paused, running a hand across the outgrown buzz. “Yeah. Gotta find a new barber. The old one’s got a new no-omegas embargo, since the hairdresser opened up in the same mall.”

He stroked his thumb across the leather of the steering wheel. Wishing he could know what the hair felt like. Was it soft at the top where he allowed it to grow long enough to spike? Likely not, with the amount of hair product to keep it up. But freshly washed? Perhaps. And the hair at the back and sides, as it grew out a little. Would it be kitten soft? 

Words escaped his tongue before he could restrain them: “perhaps you could grow it out.”

Gladio twitched slightly, and turned to squint at him suspiciously. “Like an omega?” He challenged. 

A soft quirk of a smile twitched over Ignis’s lips. “Are you going to assume that to everything I say?” He asked, amused. 

“...sorry,” Gladio rumbled, looking away. “I’m gonna be touchy for a while. My dad’s stupid fucking letter…”

“Quite understandable,” he agreed in a soft, soothing voice. “There are alpha styles that allow for length, if that’s more to your taste. Kingsglaive Ulric, for example.”

“Nyx?” Gladio said thoughtfully, rubbing across his bare chin. “I could probably pull it off.”

“Oh, undoubtably. You’d look fetching with a longer style.” And Ignis would forever yearn to reach out and touch his dark locks, learn what they felt like. He’d be able to guess the texture better if it were allowed to grow out. 

Gladio cleared his throat awkwardly. “So. Ulric is your type then?” He sounded causal, friendly. Two men sharing preferences over a beer. 

“I suppose he comes close,” he answered. “Handsome, rugged, capable in battle.” That did match his other encounters. “He is rather too old for me however.”

“Rugged,” Gladio repeated. “Always figured you’d be after someone more refined like you.”

Ignis shrugged. “I think I have enough fastidiousness to fill the quota of any relationship,” he answered playfully. 

Gladio laughed again, and a silence settled between them. 

Ignis let it sit, and then reluctantly sighed. “Well, I suppose you’d better head inside. You’ll be wanting to settle in for your pre-heat soon enough.”

Gladio jolted and looked at him, surprised. “You know it’s my…?” He trailed off. 

He tapped his nose silently in answer — Gladio blushed, or maybe coloured with shame. “Is there anything I can assist you with? You typically absorb the scent of pack during our bonding time, but you’re going without today. I wouldn’t wish you to be made uncomfortable in your cycle simply because your father chose this moment to be an arsehole.”

Gladio’s startled laugh was more surprise then genuine amusement. He studied Ignis a moment longer then — “could you… build me a nest?” He sounded so hesitant, so embarrassed by the request. 

Ignis bestowed him a reassuring smile and unbuckled his seat belt. “Of course. I’d be happy to oblige. Shall we…?”

***

Ignis closed the door to his apartment, dropped his carrier case and sunk his hand into the front of his trousers. He eased his cock out of the modesty sleeve and groaned as he wrapped his hand around it. He’d been tormented by arousal ever since it had become clear that Noct had taken his comment to mean he was volunteering to be mated to Gladio. 

Then to be around the omega’s scent as it deepened towards the arousing smell of pre-heat. In his car, and then to be casually invited into the tent Gladio used to see out his heat — the scent of slick and cum and heat-sweet sweat seeped into the walls. To be asked to make a nest, provide a comfortable space for him to see out his heat. Astrals, it had been hard. **He** had been unbearably hard. 

He let his head drop back into the wood of the door, thrusting into his own fist. He tried his best to keep quiet — the walls in this infrastructure were scent-blocking, but not soundproof. 

He was no stranger to masturbation, nor the thoughts of Gladiolus Amicitia that inevitably overcame his fantasies. Earlier, he had felt awkward about the fact he pleasured himself to the omega — until Gladio had caught Prompto gaping at him one day and flexed until his shirt ripped.(“You can jerk off to that later, Blondie. I’m flattered.”) Given that was the omega’s opinion on the matter he allowed himself to indulge. 

He pumped himself, adding a slight twist towards the tip. 

He could have imagined it going something like this:

  


Gladio would ask him, while he was buried in a pile of paperwork, “Don’t you ever let loose, Iggy?”

He’d look up and smirk, “of course — when scheduled.”

Gladio would laugh. That full deep boom that warmed him inside and out. “Why ain’t I surprised?”

He’d lean across the table, place his hand on top of the omega’s. “I have some scheduled time this weekend. If you’re interested.”

Gladio would be, naturally. He’d come over for dinner, drinks — best cut that thought off before he starts arranging the menu. Somehow, he wasn’t entirely sure of the details, it would lead to making out on the couch. Gladio would pin him against the couch cushions. Large, deep, wide and long. He wanted his omega to be comfortable here in his home. 

(Ah. Drat. Intrusive thoughts, claiming Gladio as his when he never would be. He’d need to continue working on that.)

He’d coax Gladio’s clothes off — an exceedingly simple task given how the omega delighted in tormenting the beta’s libido by being as close to naked as legal on a regular basis. His own were much harder to remove. 

It would be better to press Gladio back into the couch and stand up, strip himself. Gladio would try to reach out and touch. But Ignis would demand his patience until he was stripped down to his briefs. “Come on, Iggy. Haven’t you made me wait long enough?”

(That thought had too delicious, he had to slow down. Gods, it had been too long since his last encounter.)

Would Gladio wish to bottom or top? Lore said that male omega preferred to be the penetrated partner in male-male encounters — but given Gladio’s preference for female partners, that was called into question. Not that Ignis minded either way. He had a versatile appetite. 

One thing he wanted to do, would beg Gladio to allow him — Gladio would agree. Would he be shy about it? No. Eager. Shift his hips towards the edge of the couch and spread his legs wide. Would he be wet for it already? It took most male omega’s intense arousal to produce slick outside of their heats. 

He imagined Gladio wet for it. But not ashamed. Gladio was not ashamed of his sexuality — not shy and demure like other omega thought they ought to be. Spread wide, with a knowing smirk. “Well?” He’d taunt. “I gotta take care of myself?”

He wouldn’t hesitate longer. Kneeling smoothly between Gladio’s legs, he’d dive in with his tongue and lips. Working Gladio over until he could do nothing more than moan. 

(If he could come from that alone, Ignis would make him. _Glad_ ly.)

It would be a struggle to break the hold of Gladio’s thighs around his head and shoulders. But he would, with determination. Pull back and raise onto his feet. “To the bedroom then?”

  


He was so close to his favourite part of the fantasy, and then his cellphone rang. Betas rarely growled, but one tore from his throat he yanked his phone out of his pocket and snapped it open. “What?”

“Good afternoon to you, Iggy,” Prompto said, his voice quavering a little. 

“Prompto,” he said, trying to bring his voice under control. “Is there something I can assist you with?” Easing himself back into his modesty belt, he fastened his trousers back into place. 

If it were anyone else other than his alpha’s chosen omega (well, not quite there but it was only a matter of time) he would’ve just hung up the phone. But Noct would be impossibly more grouchy at him if he heard Prompto had asked for something and Ignis didn’t deliver. And then of course he’d be territorial and angry later that Ignis had provided for his omega instead of _him_ — but less so than if he ignored Prompto completely. He simply couldn’t win with those two involved. 

“Yeah. Noct said you guys cancelled pack bonding time?”

“There was certain Citadel business. Noctis will tell you if he deems it appropriate.” He rubbed his forehead. “Did you have something planned with his newly acquired free time that you need my assistance with?”

There was a grin in Prompto’s voice. “Yeah! Okay, so it’s a bit of a plan…” 

Ignis cringed. Drat. He was definitely not getting time to finish himself off. “Go on.”


	4. Wounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changes chapter count to ???? Cause I don’t even know any more. 
> 
> Some sexy content about halfway through the first section.

Gladio was settled into his tent, a whole crate of sports drinks beside him, and boxes of protein bars. He was reading through a book, with the time left that his brain wasn’t a complete mess. He probably had a couple of hours or so left until his heat hit properly, and he wanted to finish his book first. 

He looked up in irritation when he heard footsteps crunching on the grass. Too heavy to be Iris. So...Who the fuck? Jarred was an alpha and knew better to get anywhere near his nest, and his dad hadn’t been home once during his cycle. 

They stopped a few feet shy of the tent entrance, when he let out a warning growl. A non-verbal ‘ _this is my space and you are invading_ ’.

“Gladiolus?” His temper instantly vanished as soon as he heard the clipped consonants and broad vowels of the accent. 

“Oh. It’s just you, Iggy.” Not a threat at all. Pack, not an alpha and… well, someone he was stupidly attracted to. Welcome in his tent-nest, either way. 

“...quite. I’ve a free spot in my schedule to discuss the change in Noctis’s training regime. May I enter?”

“Yeah, come on in.” Iggy could probably smell he wasn’t in heat yet. 

Ever fastidious, the beta stepped out of his shoes and lightly toed into the tent in socked feet. He was still in his elegant — and unfairly sexy — shirt-and-waistcoat ensemble that he wore to work. He sat cross-legged right by the door, leaving it unzipped. 

He spoke as he rummaged through his carry case. “With his final exams coming up, I’ve reduced the number of weekly training hours as per our agreement. But I hope to discuss and come to an agreement on a schedule once he has completed the school year.”

Gladio wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on the opening in his tent — the exposure of his nest. A vulnerability, an opening. It was all he could focus on — and it made him antsy. 

“Gladiolus?”

“I… Fuck. Can you close the tent? It’s driving me nuts.”

“...my apologies.” Shamefaced, Ignis turned to zip the fastening closed properly. “I had assumed with an intruder in your nest, you would want an easy exit.”

“You’re not an intruder,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “You’re pack.”

“Oh. I see.” He pushed up his glasses. “...shall I continue?”

Gladio set down his book and sat up, ready to focus on the conversation. 

As always, it was a heated discussion. Gladio on the side of more training hours more regularly, for more vigorous training — while Ignis fought for less time, insisted that Noct needed time to pursue his hobbies. Softie. 

Typically, they would eventually come to some sort of steady middle. But not that day. 

As Ignis was furiously arguing his point, Gladio got distracted. His upper lip had a light sheen of sweat beading together. And then Gladio could practically feel his brain melt and slide as liquid down his spine and into his crotch. 

With a lusty growl, he threw his weight forward and pinned Ignis on the ground, smashing their lips together. The other man made a surprised noise — but when Gladio growled again, he melted into the kiss. 

He ground his hips down into Iggy’s, groaning at the pleasure that burned through him. A low whimper from Ignis pressed between their lips. 

Hands gripped the fabric of his waistcoat and wrenched — buttons popping off. He smothered the protest with his tongue. 

Fingers tangled in the longer hair he was growing out, gripping him firmly to give back as fiercely as he was getting. 

He shoved his hand down to wrench open Ignis’s belt buckle, and yanked down his fly. He dug into his pants, desperate to get his hands on Iggy’s dick. He made a frustrated noise when he didn’t automatically find it. Fishing deeper, he made a surprised noise when he felt the boner held down and restrained against his thigh by a fabric modesty sleeve. Titan’s Chain, that was so _Ignis_. 

Modesty sleeves, cock socks, whatever you wanted to call them — they weren’t exactly popular, but more polite alphas wore them so they didn’t make omegas awkward with their obvious boners. But Ignis with his shirt stays and sock belts — of course he’d have one. That was so fucking hot. 

He rubbed it firmly and parted their lips. “That for me?”

“Obviously,” Ignis panted against his mouth.

“I’m flattered.” He sat up to yank his shirt off, tossing it aside. Something clattered and rattled as the shirt knocked it over but he didn’t care. “Fuck me,” he demanded, leaning back to seal his mouth against Ignis’s neck — instinctively searching for the swollen neck glands of an alpha. 

“Gladiolus…”

“Alpha,” he growled possessively, shifting to grind the soaked seat of his pants against his thigh. “I want you to fuck me. Knot me up.”

A wavering gasp escaped Ignis’s lips. Gladio shifted up to kiss him again.

But then, so quickly it made his head spin, he found himself pinned onto the soft ground of his tent. He moaned, feeling slick drip out of him. “Yeah… take me.”

“Gladiolus. Take a deep breath and try and focus, would you?” He sounded angry. Agitated. Even a little distraught? 

He made a confused noise, but took deep breaths as Ignis moved away from him. 

He picked up the plastic bottle of medication, a deep scowl furrowing his brow as he broke off the security seal. He shoved them into Gladio’s hands. 

The omega tried to drag his thoughts out from their sex-sticky mess, squinting at the label. Omega Heat Suppressants… double strength. 

Fuck. Fuck. He’d forgotten to take them when his heat was due. Fuck. 

Ignis was escaping out of the tent and zipping it up firmly behind him. He thumped his forehead with a fist. He yanked open the bottle and tipped out a couple capsules, swallowing them down with some energy drink. 

He could still hear Iggy’s heavy breathing on the other side of the fabric walls. He was tall, and broad — way bigger than the standard omega. The suppressants didn’t work as fast or as well on him, just from his body mass. But he did eventually feel his body calm down, his brain become clearer. 

“Iggy…” He groaned. 

“Gladio.” His voice was tight, restrained. Very carefully neutral. “I apologise. I should have been more conscientious on your changing scent.”

“It’s okay… I should’ve remembered to take my meds when I was getting close,” he responded. 

“We both bear some burden of responsibility,” Ignis replied. “I… I would appreciate it if we could agree to act as if this never happened.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to. He wanted to drag Iggy back into his nest and fuck away his heat. “Yeah that’s for the best.”

“Very well.” He could practically see Iggy pushing his glasses up. “Please come to my office once you’ve returned to work and we can resume our discussion.”

“Yeah.” He cringed. “Yeah. See you in a few days.”

“Quite.” A long pause. “Goodnight, Gladio.”

“Yeah. Night.”

He listened to Ignis walk away, grass crunching under his feet as he left. 

Fuck. What had he done?

***

He turned towards the door as it opened. “He okay?”

“Noct is fine.” Ignis approached him, a first aid kit in his hands. “A little shaken up. Very worried about you.”

“I’m his Shield,” he grunted. “He shouldn’t worry.”

“He is also your friend. Of course he’s going to.” He sat on the other side of the couch and tilted his head up. “What happened? Noct wasn’t precisely clear.”

“Some drunk shithead started on him on the street,” Gladio growled. “About how he’s got family outside the city, and that the crown ain’t doing anything to help them.”

Ignis sighed at that, and carefully began to unwrap the makeshift bandage from around his head. He hissed, grabbing a potion from the kit. “This isn’t going to heal completely. You left it to long. You should’ve had a potion on hand.”

“Used it on His Highness,” Gladio grunted, “I’m his Shield. He comes first.”

Ignis sighed again, pouring some of the potion onto a cotton ball and dabbing it against the vertical slash down his face. “I cannot fault you for trying to attend your duties,” he answered carefully. “But all the same. I wish you can used the potion on yourself. Noct said he only had a few minor scrapes and bruises.” 

Gladio hissed and winced as he felt the potion begin to sink into his flesh and work its magic. “I’ll live.”

“You ought to be grateful you have such a heavy brow,” Ignis murmured, his touch with the swab even lighter after Gladio’s wince. “It seems to have protected your eye from damage. Once the swelling goes down, you’ll have full handle on your senses.”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t imagine anything more frightful than losing one’s eyesight,” Ignis murmured, his expression serious. “And all the same… I’m glad you’re alright, Gladio.”

He shifted his other eye to look at Ignis as the beta concentrated his full attention on the gouge. “Yeah. Me too.”

A tense silence settled between them as Ignis tended to his wound — only interrupted when the front door burst violently open. “Noct!” Prompto’s frantic voice tore through the otherwise quiet apartment. “I just got Iggy’s text! Where are you? Are you okay?”

Gladio grumbled. “I’m the one who got hurt.” But it wasn’t a real complaint. He knew what was going on between those two even if _they_ didn’t.

“I hadn’t the details when I notified him,” Ignis explained calmly. “Only that Noct had been attacked on the street and you were there to protect him.”

Gladio shrugged lazily, sitting back as Ignis started packing up the first aid kit. “Will I live?”

He pressed the bottle into his hand. “A long and fruitful life, I should hope,” he replied, something pinched about his expression. “It’ll scar though — you left it too long.”

He shrugged. “I’ll look badass.”

Another sigh. Ignis was doing that a lot tonight. “Drink the rest of the potion.” He paused a moment longer. “I have to fill in the initial incident report. Will you stay? I suspect we’ll all be in need of the tactile comfort of pack bonding tonight.”

“Yeah,” he replied. He might be putting on a tough act but he was shaken. He wanted to be curled up with his alpha, and his beta — and even the scrawny blond omega he was starting to consider his own too. “I’d rather stick by Noct’s side anyway. Make sure he’s all good.”

Ignis gave him a piercing look — one that told him he didn’t buy that cover up at all. But he didn’t question. “You’d best wash your face after you drink the potion. We wouldn’t want to scar Prompto for life.”

“Did… did you just make a pun? About my injury?!” He demanded. 

Ignis smirked. “Too soon?” Gently squeezing his shoulder, he picked up the first aid kit and headed out. 

Gladio headed over to the sink and stared at his expression grimly. He looked like an extra from a slasher fic. 

He bent low over the sink and scrubbed at his face with a dark face washer until the water was running clear again. Then he straightened up to look himself over. 

Well fuck. Now he’d never find an alpha. He had a huge fucking gouge down one side of his face and yeah, if he was an alpha it would look badass. But he was an omega. Supposed to be soft and pretty and protected. Now he was damaged goods. 

At least it had healed over, though it was flush pink with the newness of a scar. 

He could’ve fought the drunk beta off easily. But he’d been a crown citizen — Gladio couldn’t harm them, not when they were only being drunk and stupid. If it had been a real threat to Noct’s life, he could have incapacitated them. 

His dad was going to have his ass. 

Sighing, he gave his reflection a last unhappy look, and slung his confident bravado back on like armour. He headed out to the living room and looked around. 

Prompto had been here for, what, five minutes? And he’d already started on a fucking castle of a blanket fort-nest. 

The blond looked up when Gladio entered, and his lip trembled. Red eyes grew shiny, and he whined. “Gladio, you’re hurt…”

“Nah. I’m good. Igs patched me up.” But he let Prompto fuss over him — answering the worried chirps with reassuring growls. 

Noct eyed him jealously from the middle of the nest inside the blanket fort, but didn’t interrupt. Not like he would have if Iggy was the one Prompto was fretting over.

Eventually, the three of them were settled into the nest — Prompto curled up next to Noct with his head on his chest, occasionally nuzzling the prince with an anxious whimper. Gladio was lying down on Noct’s other side, a hand around his wrist to count his pulse. 

But none of them properly relaxed until Iggy was done on the phone, and stepped in through the flaps of the fort, dressed down to his undershirt and a pair of soft cotton pyjama pants. 

He shifted to take his place by the wall, on Prompto’s other side, but a warning glare had him changing his course. He lay down behind Gladio, flat on his back. The fact he didn’t even take his glasses off meant he expected a sleepless night. 

With their pack all together, Prompto and Noct fell asleep easily. Gladio couldn’t, still thrumming with adrenaline, antsy as hell, listening out for every damn noise. But he kept his breath deep and meditative so he didn’t agitate the rest of the pack. 

An hour or so in, he heard Ignis shift behind his back. Lean closer. “Gladiolus?” He whispered. “Are you asleep?”

Too deep in his concentration, he didn’t answer right away. And Ignis seemed to take that as a no. 

One hand combed through his longer strands of hair, and then he moved again. The beta spooned up behind him, throwing one leg over his knees, an arm closing around his waist. It rose up to rest on Noct’s chest, above his heart as if to check its steady pulse. And he tucked his nose into Gladio’s neck — right up against the pulse so he could probably monitor the omega’s as well. 

It soothed some part of his instincts he didn't even notice were agitated. With Ignis’s warmth tucked behind him, the solid presence of him at his back and side, he found himself finally able to drift off to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> One of my online friends suggested I start a discord server for people who read my fics to be able to interact with each other and with me. So I did! Feel free to drop in.


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